Nonito Donaire to Go for a Knockout

Nonito Donaire is looking to avoid what compatriot Manny Pacquiao suffered during his highly-controversial match against Timothy Bradley.

The reigning World Boxing Organization super bantamweight champion declared on Saturday that he will be going for knockout and won’t let the fight go to distance to avoid a controversial decision in his title-unification bout against Jeffrey Mathebula on Sunday.

But despite his goal of knocking out his opponent, the 29-year-old Filipino champion admitted that it won’t be an easy because the reigning International Boxing Federation junior featherweight is much taller and longer than him.

“I don’t want it to be a long fight,” said Donaire, who will be three to four inch smaller in height and reach against the South African champion. “I’ve never fought a guy this tall.”

A convincing win for Donaire will absolutely line himself up for big-money fights, but Mathebula is determined to foil Donaire’s plan, saying that he will give Donaire a fight he that he will never forget.

“He wants to attack. OK, attack. I’ll hit him with my jab, and I’m not sure he can get his jab to me being the smaller guy,” said Mathebula, who will be fighting in his first title defense. “He had power in lighter weights, but what about my power? I’ve been here 11 years. This will be his second fight at 122. And now he faces the champion.”

If Donaire can hurdle Mathebula, Top Rank boss Bob Arum vowed to arrange a pay-per-view title fight against WBC champion Abner Mares, WBA ruler Guillermo Rigondeaux, or against Japanese sensation Toshiaki Nishioka, who is the top-ranked super bantamweight in the ESPN and Ring Magazine rankings.